FORESTBURGH - What is happening at Lost Lake? This was the question on the minds of the Forestburgh Town Board at their most recent meeting.

“We have people who have purchased lots and want building permits,” said Town Supervisor Dan Hogue Jr., “We do not know what is going on at the location to give them answers.”

At their May meeting, the board requested that the town attorney send out a letter requesting for an update on the project from the members of Double Diamond Inc.

Back in 2007, Double Diamond, Inc., a Texas-based developer, purchased 2080 acres in Forestburgh with the goal of developing Lost Lakes Resorts.

The resort is slated to have up to 2,557 single family residential lots along with condos and multifamily units and looks to be one of the largest developments in the town's history.

Additionally, plans include building a hotel with conference facilities, spas and fitness centers, as well as an 18-hole championship golf course with a driving range, clubhouse and an Inn located on the property.

Executive members of Double Diamond Resorts and the Lost Lake Resort were on hand at the meeting to provide what the town requested.

According to the Public Service Commission (PSC) rules and regulations, any new residential development requires electric infrastructure to be installed underground in any new subdivisions.

On October 19, 2017, Lost Lake Resort petitioned the commission for a waiver to be able to install power with overhead lines. In the final subdivision plan for Phase I of the project, which was approved by the planning board last year which stated, “The developer intends to install overhead electric, cable and phone in the roadways and areas permitted by the fire code, while common facilities and house lots would be serviced underground.”

According to legal counsel for Lost Lake, Daniel Duthie, the commission denied the waiver because the staff of the commission understood there was a resolution to mandate the power lines be buried in the Town of Forestburgh. Duthie states it was a misunderstanding as no such resolution has been found.

“We are waiting to see if the commission will grant us the waiver,” said Duthie. “The PSC had an understanding that the town had an underground resolution in place. We searched the town's website and code and could not find the resolution. Because of this confusion with the town's underground resolution we are appealing the commission.”

According to Duthie, Lost Lake should qualify for the waiver due to the cost of putting lines underground is twice the amount that is the standard cost from Orange and Rockland to install the wires and also because Phase I was approved for overhead lines.

“It usually cost $37 a foot. For Lost Lake we are looking at $100 a foot for underground wires,” said Duthie.

For Phase I of the Lost Lake plans to finish the building of 400 lots, the front nine of the golf course and the water treatment and processing plants will be constructed along Cold Spring Road. The complex already has a sales office built and almost a mile of paved road already laid down.

The plan for Lost Lake is to have the main power to come on overhead poles and once inside the development, the power will go underground to service the facilities and house lots.

As of now, the project has slowed down until electrical power can be brought to the development.

After much discussion on the status of Lost Lake, Forestburgh Town Councilman John Galligan asked Randy Gracy, Senior Vice President of Construction at Double Diamond Inc. Gracy, who flew in from Dallas, Texas, “Do you still plan to go ahead with the plans you told us?”

In response Gracy said, “I plan to do Lost Lake exactly how I presented it several years ago. I do not have plans to bury this. We and the town have to work together.”

Councilman Galligan re­sponded with, “Very good, that's what I want to hear.”

Gracy then said, “We invested a lot of time and money and not knowing when or how we are going to have electricity, we needed to stop spending money until we get that resolved.”